Maybe it’s the pandemic. Maybe it’s late-stage capitalism. Maybe it’s another hotly-contested election year in the U.S. and we could all use the literary equivalent of a warm cup of tea and a nice, little hug. But whatever the reason, the hottest literary trend of late is the “cozy” sub-genre, snuggling its way into romance, mystery, and even horror literary spaces with inviting readability, stress-free, low-stakes plotlines, and genre-blurring crossover appeal.
Rest assured, if you’re looking for hard-hitting, pulse-quickening, or heart-wrenching, those titles are still being produced by traditional publishing. But if something a bit gentler appeals, there are also titles being published right now that will politely invite you to curl up on an over-stuffed chair in soft lighting and dive into a book of utter coziness.
Romance
Flowerheart
By Catherine Bakewell
Thanks to a touch of speculative magic, debut author Bakewell’s Victorian-themed Flowerheart weaves a second-chance romance between darling Clara and her ex, the mysterious Xavier, a dashing but confounding former ally, and when Clara’s father falls prey to a curse that leaves him with a chest blooming with flowers, only she can heal him. But to do so, she’ll have to choose between her parents and accept her own magic as well. Featuring a diverse LGBTQ-coded supporting cast of characters, Flowerheart offers buckets of sweetness for lovers of Little Women and Beauty and the Beast.
Legends and Lattes
By Travis Baldree
Perhaps the current trendsetter among the bunch, Legends and Lattes wrote the book on genre-blending, cozy titles, mixing romance and secondary-world fantasy to a fantastically successful outcome. Thanks to a decidedly Dungeons & Dragons-esque feel, Baldree’s mix of orcs and coffee shops will appeal to the reader most in need of a smile and a dash of whimsy along with their high fantasy. And with heartwarming themes, steady world-building, and friendship offered by a voicey narrator, the book goes down warm and easy as a creamy macchiato.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
By Sangu Mandanna
Anonymous Brit Mika Moon mostly succeeds in keeping her witchy heritage to herself until she becomes entangled with three young witches, a grumpy, handsome librarian named Jaime, and the threat which exposes them all to danger. A sweet blend of charm, fantasy, romance, and found family against a backdrop of starry skies and low-pressure threat, this book is a celebration of all the best things in cozy, swoony books.
Mystery
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
By Jesse Q. Sutanto
When tea shopkeeper and aging Chinese widow Vera finds a dead body on the floor of her San Francisco-based shop, she decides to put her years of watching TV murder mystery shows to good use, determining to solve the puzzle herself. But the real treat here is the unruly bunch of counterparts who team up with Vera to figure out the mystery together, allowing for plenty of opportunities to appreciate the unorthodox, off-kilter delight of the titular main character.
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies
By Misha Popp
As a one-woman vengeance machine, baker-slash-witch Daisy Ellery, accompanied by loyal pup, Zoe, delivers deadly baked goods to men all over town who are guilty of hurting women. But when Daisy and her friends are followed by a mysterious figure whose cloaked presence threatens to unmask her actions, Daisy will need to make peace with the witches from whom she descends to plan a better way for herself and her fellow women with both humor and humanity.
Shady Hollow
By Juneau Black
The first installment of Juneau Black’s Shady Hollow series introduces readers to an anthropomorphic world of Vera Vixen, a fox whose fellow peaceful woodland creatures look to her and best friend Lenore, a raven, to uncover the secrets of violence among them. Something like Murder, She Wrote meets Zootopia, Shady Hollow’s cozy vibes and charming critters meld into a perfect blend of intriguing and adorable, making this book both utterly cozy and absolutely unputdownable.
Horror
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
By Grady Hendrix
When bored housewife Patricia’s book club is infiltrated by handsome stranger James, she wonders if his attractive energy is what’s been missing in her life. But when book club members start dying, and word on the street is that James has, perhaps, not aged in generations, the potential for him to be revealed as a vampire become all too real. Like Steel Magnolias meets Twilight, this title is for Southerners, book club members, or true crime lovers.
A House With Good Bones
By T. Kingfisher
Both sweet and scary, Kingfisher’s story of a daughter wrestling to make sense of what’s happened to her childhood home since she left her mother there alone takes on a life of its own once witches, vultures, and sorcerers are found. Creepy Halloween vibes and a relatable main character ground this cozy, compelling story in both the terrible and the terrific.
Such Sharp Teeth
By Rachel Harrison
Instead of Red Riding Hood being taken by the wolf, Rory Morris turns into a werewolf when she’s bitten by the animal she’s tried rescuing from the side of the road one night. But with a new, shape-shifting reality, a fantastic, new strength, and the start of a hometown romance, Rory will need to lean on her sister, Scarlett, several heavy doses of banter, and enough bite to survive. A story made for moonlight with a touch of madness.
Southern Review of Books 